Feng Shui of the Mind
by Phr Lt Nkkd
Summary: Art is an outlet for Jou. Art means nothing to Seto until a peculiar piece falls into his hands. Then, Pegasus has to go and screw it all up.
1. Feng Shui

The biting cold.

Inexplicable warmth.

Jou could have given you the definitions of those vague phrases without batting an eyelash.

"Being alone."

"Being with him."

Shivers would course through the blonde's body at the mere mention of the name. The very name that gave him a funny weightless feeling in the pit of his stomach.

--

The weather hadn't been kind to Jou that day; the rain flowed heavily from the weeping sky, ruining his chances of sketching on top of the school. The beautiful breeze was what he wanted most; sweet and warm against his pale face, creating a type of Feng Shui for the paper and pencil in his hands. It was easier to draw that way: with clear and opulent thoughts.

So, instead of drawing on the roof, Jou went to the level below and chose a seat by the window; one that looked over the heart of Domino: the most beautiful of all artwork.

Settled into a desk by the window, Jou shut his eyes and rested his lengthy, bony fingers on the clear, open sketchpad in front of him.

Jou's chocolate eyes danced behind their coverings as he searched for ideas.

Many things came to mind: Yuugi dueling, Anzu dancing, Honda racing, his father laughing, Kaiba in the rain.

Now there was an _idea_.

Shaking his unruly locks out of his face, Jou picked up his mechanical pencil and went to work, outlining basic shapes. So intent was he on his work; Jou didn't hear when the subject of his art walked into the room with a broom.

Kaiba stopped short upon entering the room, ambiguous as to why the blonde was hunched over a desk with such intent. Jou's arm was moving in quick, short spurts and there was a loud scratching sound during each spasm. Every now and then there was a pause, a cock of the head, a short mumbling session and then it was back to whatever he was doing. The brunette in the doorway—no matter how much he tried to ignore it—grew too curious for his own good and walked over to stand silently behind Jou's shoulder, peering over far enough to get a good look at whatever was on the desk.

Raising an eyebrow, Seto blinked, looked away, and blinked again. Yes, it was still there.

It was a picture. Still in the works, but it was there—clear as day. It was he—Kaiba—leaning against the side of what looked like the school building. He had one arm raised above his head, bracing himself against the side of the wall. In the drawing, Seto was wearing a long-sleeved, collared shirt that clung to him tightly. His brown hair was stuck to the sides of his face, his forehead and his neck. The icy blue, intense gaze he always held was there—captured perfectly. A frown was in place as the doppelganger Seto in the picture stared off at something unknown. There were some light lines falling from the top of the drawing to the bottom, leaving trails and droplets wherever they touched. Rain.

Jounouchi Katsuya was drawing him—Seto Kaiba—in the rain.

And it was perfect.

From the wrinkles in the shirt to the muscles on his chest and arms, Seto felt as if he were looking in a mirror.

So this was Jou's talent. Just from basic observations, the CEO had seen that Yuugi's forte was in dueling, Honda's in racing, Anzu's in dancing, and Ryou's in school and work. He had never seen what Jou could do. Somehow, he felt a bit privileged to be able to see what the blonde could do.

"Are you just gonna stand there an' look at me, Kaiba?"

The brunette almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the blonde below him speak.

Jou hadn't looked up from his sketch since Kaiba had walked in, but he had sensed the same intense gaze the picture was producing. Curious as to what the rich man wanted, Jou had ignored him, instead focusing on the sheet of paper in front of him.

"I wasn't looking at you, puppy." Was the clipped, cold reply. Tightening his grip on wooden broom, Seto walked briskly to the other side of the room and began sweeping the dirt from the corners. Talk about an inferiority complex.

"Yeah, you were, Kaiba. If you wanted to know what I was doing, you could have just asked."

That simple sentence, so clear yet so…something else that Seto couldn't quite put his finger on. It stopped him in his tracks. With one end of the bristly broom pointed upwards toward the ceiling, like one would dip a lady whilst dancing, the CEO gazed over at Jou, who was looking at him with a cool expression.

_Like a cat…almost like he _expected_ this…_

With the stiffness of a mannequin, the blue-eyed brunette set the broom against the teacher's desk and walked over to where the blonde artist was turning back around to focus on the piece of paper. Jou was completely at ease, like he and Seto did this every single day. Well, witty banter was one thing that _did_ happen everyday, but the sitting down _without_ the arguing and banter was something that had never happened before.

If felt kind of…nice. Kaiba thought, just sitting there, he and Jou together. There were very few words exchanged between them, except for the few polite commands from the drawing blonde of, "turn your head," or "hold your hand out," with which Seto complied quite complacent.

The amicable silence and the scratching of the pencil on the pad was a comforting massage on Seto Kaiba. It felt weird, to be sure, but it was nice. It was then that Seto took the time to actually study Jou—like actually take more than a glance at him. After all, there was nothing else in the room to look at, right?

For the first time, Seto took notice at how good-looking the blonde was. Fluffy blonde hair piled all over the place—but not in such a way that it made Jou look like a slob. Angry chocolate eyes dominated his facial features. Kaiba noticed that when the puppy got angry enough, those orbs froze over into glaciers colder than his own blue ones. Luscious pink lips that were just begging to be kissed—parted slightly with the concentration of the sketch below. The rest of Jou's body was slender—but not so slender as to make him look effeminate, like Ryou. No, it was a boyish grace he had; well-toned muscles that accented his shape in all the right places. The reason Seto never took noticed of the blonde before was probably because he was always wearing his uniform or some other baggy clothes that didn't light up his looks; that and the fact that there was always some distraction around.

Glancing at the brunette sitting so calm beside him, Jou felt a sudden uneasiness.

Here he was, drawing the guy who was supposed to be his worst enemy, with the real thing right next to him! It was unnerving to say the least, but not unwelcome. Jou was kind of relieved that there was no chair-to-head bashing and many chalkboard erasers being shoved in places unmentionable.

Katsuya's nimble fingers finished the shading and final lines before pulling his pencil away and studying it. His brown eyes went from the actual CEO to the doppelganger, and back, checking for slight differences and mistakes. There were none that he could see.

Initialing quickly at the bottom of the page, Jou slid the paper over to Kaiba for an analysis. The cold, rich man picked it up and scrutinized it.

"It's…beautiful…" was the only decent thing the brunette could think of to say, though it didn't do any justice.

"Thanks a lot…Seto. You can keep it, if you want," Jou answered, hiding a faint blush that was trying to come forth. Seeing Seto's eyebrows shoot into his hairline, the blonde added quickly, "You don't have to if you don't wanna. I just thought…since…you know…"

_What a way to ruin a moment, Jou. _His mind harassed him. Nothing else came to mind to say, though, so the room fell into an amiable silence once more.

"It's not that I don't want to keep it, it's just…yours…I wouldn't feel right…" Kaiba finally said, not taking his eyes off the gorgeous picture he held in his hands so reverently. The eldest Kaiba really didn't feel like he should take it—he felt like he was stealing from Jou, and stealing was something he frowned on.

However, the blondes face broke into a toothy grin. "Naw, dude! If you want it, you can go ahead and keep it! I gotta run though, so I'll see ya around!" Jou picked up his backpack and walked out of the room before Seto had a chance to argue.

"Yeah…see you around…"

--

So what did you think? I was toying with this idea for a day or so, and finally settled down to work on it during a storm. I hope it came out to your liking, though. And don't worry, I'm not going to leave you hanging here! Took me a little while to figure out where I wanted to go with this, but hey! There'll be a few more chapters. Please leave a review, telling me what you did or didn't like. It's not fair to an author if they don't know whether anything's wrong with their story.


	2. Kappa Kaiba

A light rain was falling all around Jou as he stepped outside. Everything was covered in a mist that accentuated the beauty of Domino's scenery. Trees were outlined in a beauty that could only be matched by some divine creation. Raindrops bounced off of surrounding buildings and cars, giving everything that foggy, surreal peruse. Jou stopped in the middle of the courtyard and stood. Just stood, with his face to the weeping heavens. His outline became more and more distorted through windows dripping with moisture, until he was trickling angel.

Upstairs, still in the room where Jou had drawn him, Seto Kaiba stood gazing at the teenage artist, basking himself in the revitalizing liquid, such as a cat or turtle would do outside in the sun. One palm rested on the cool glass of the window, almost as if he expect to reach down and tug Jou back into the room, just to feel his warmth. Kaiba watched with sad eyes as the blonde below shrugged on his backpack and set off for home, walking leisurely to enjoy the misty rain.

Sighing, Seto turned around and gazed at the room, not really seeing it. For a moment, he was a bit introverted; staring at his soul in a way that would put psychics to shame. That was when _it_ surfaced.

Blue eyes began to lid heavily, like one who had been awake for several days in a row. His normally pale face began to shadow upon itself; light upon light upon light began to extinguish from his youthful face, bringing seemingly immeasurable age to this teenager.

As Seto Kaiba began retreating into his subconscious, another entity surfaced, locking the real Seto deep within his own soul.

Slitted eyes painted green peered out from underneath a dark skin tone. Normal canines were lengthened to that of a mythological vampire, Seto's nose lost its perkiness; it became flat, almost non-existent. Underneath the mop of normally well-kept brown locks, an indentation formed: holding the strength-giving liquid of the kappa. The webs between his fingers lengthened and joined about halfway up the digits.

A kappa stared at the classroom Seto Kaiba had been earlier. It's black-and-white vision gave cruel rendition to the landscape of its surroundings. It knew why it was here, what its purpose was, but it had no idea about whose body he had taken over, where it was, when it was, and how it got there. Scratch that–it did know how it got there, but that was irrelevant to it's rationale.

The little trickster's mouth–if it could be called that–curled up into a grin that could only be described as a grimace. With the piece of paper still clutched in its hand, the kappa in Seto Kaiba's body meandered out the door of the classroom, down the stairs, and out of the schoolyard, ready to follow Jou home. It was ready, that is, until Kaiba's phone rang.

–

The blonde stretched feverishly, reveling in the feel of his muscles loosening and his limbs popping. When he settled his arms by his sides, he felt a lot better than he had coming out of the school. No longer feeling the general unease of sitting in close quarters with his enemy, Jou relaxed, taking to the streets in an eased stupor.

Half the people on the streets stopped to stare at the duelist who was walking down the street leisurely, normally thrown around blonde hair now drenched past his shoulders. Water droplets dangled off his long, luxurious eyelashes and some splattered down his porcelain cheeks. His clothes were already soaked and sticking to his body like a second skin. Needless to say, the unwanted stares he got put a bit of a damper on his good mood.

"Hey, baby. I'm dating. Want a date?" one prostitute ventured to inquire. He...or she (Jou couldn't really tell) leaned against the corner of an alley, twirling a bit of long brown hair around one finger. The person's body was covered–or rather, barely covered–with skin tight leather that showed unaltered curves. Though the top part of the prostitute was unadulterated, the bottom half was very questionable.

Jou swallowed nervously and continued walking, wincing as he heard the she-male curse him and his family behind him. Turning the corner, Jou sighed in relief. This portion of his neighborhood always gave him the creeps, but it was cheap and filled his and his father's needs, so it was fine.

"Hello, Jou!" the artist was greeted cheerfully at the elevator to his apartment by a kindly old lady carrying a green bag filled with groceries. It was the same routine everyday. He would walk in around the same time, help out Missus Nakaura from down the hall, and then head into his own dwelling.

"Afternoon, Miss Nakaura," Jou answered back, smiling. He reached out his arms and gingerly pried the bag of bread, milk and flour from the old woman's gnarled hands. The old lady smiled in that sly, secretive way of hers and let her bag of groceries go.

Chiyo Nakaura was around seventy-three, survivor of two wars, and one who produced many, many generations in her family. She was a retired seamstress, but that didn't stop her from doing everything working people did. Chiyo loved being independent, and with her flyaway graying hair and stooped over pitch, she was a very well-respected citizen in Domino. She liked spending some of her free time with Jou. Chiyo had come to think of the unruly, impulsive teenager as a grandson, and he thought of her like a grandmother, since none of his ever came to visit.

They stepped into the elevator together.

"How was your day, Miss Nakaura?" Jou asked, shifting her bag of groceries from one hand to the other and readjusting his backpack. He shook out his straightened locks, careful not to get any water on the elderly lady beside him.

"I baked some cookies this morning. Would you like to come over and have some?" she answered, her blue eyes shining cheerfully.

"Thanks, but I got a lot of homework to do, so I gotta say no," the statement was regrettable, but he really did have a lot of homework, and Jou didn't want his grades slipping more than they already were.

"Ah, I understand. Wouldn't want you to fail, now would we?"

For no reason at all, Jou laughed at her reply. Perhaps he was letting of some of the tension he had been feeling earlier. Maybe it was just to laugh, which he had been doing so little of the past few days. Whatever the reason, it sure felt good.

"Have a good evening, Jou!" Chiyo called as she snatched her groceries out of the boys hands and started down to her apartment.

"Yeah, you too..." the blonde muttered, turning and walking down the hall towards his door. A key turn and a toeing of shoes later, Jou was standing inside his comfortable apartment.

It was silent, eerily so, not something Jou was accustom to hearing after he set foot inside his home. This was a silence so deep, so introspective, that it settled into the bones like a decomposed body settled into the Earth. Jou shivered, and not just with the cold of bring in the air conditioner wearing a soaked outfit. Something just wasn't right.

Ignoring that sinking feeling in his stomach, the blonde shrugged off his jacket and hung it on a hook behind the door. That was it's temporary home until he could get downstairs to get it dried. He pulled off his socks and stuffed them into his shoes. Jou shed the rest of his clothing, albeit his boxers and walked down the hallway toward his bathroom, eagerly awaiting the warm caress of a shower. Though it was mid-fall, the apartment was still blowing out cold air. Goosebumps rose on his pale flesh, making him run to the bathroom.

Jou never heard the front door open and shut as his foot set down on the white tile of his bathroom.

–

"Hello? Oh, hi! Yeah, he gave it to me, but I was out working all morning with Grandpa! When? What movie? Oh, no thanks! Yeah, I'll see you at school!"

Little Yuugi Motou put the phone down gently, regardless of how he felt. Yes, Yami had given him the message that Anzu had called earlier, but he'd be damned if he was going to call her back! Not to mention she wanted to go to the movies! Hoping that the phone would burst into flames with the intensity of his glare, Yuugi pulled on his socks and stood at the large window in his room.

"Is something wrong, Yuugi?" Yami asked, coming up the stairs with a pile of clothes in his hands.

Only four months ago, Yami had unlocked the powers of his ancient past, and had been able to surmise a flesh and blood form. The tri-haired pharaoh had been a terrific help around the house, but a magnet for the never-ending calls from the friendship queen. Yuugi had come to rely on and trust the pharaonic spirit more and more as time dwelled on.

"Not really," the short one muttered, turning away from the majestic view of Domino City he had. The rain had become less than a drizzle, droplets finding their connection to the ground less and less. "Anzu called...again."

"I see,"

The two shared a knowing glance; neither one of them like the brunette.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Yami questioned, putting Yuugi's freshly laundered clothes into his oak dresser. He shut the drawer and dusted his hands off, turning to face his smaller counterpart. He smiled warmly as he looked upon the small champion duelist.

Wide, innocent eyes gazed at everything with a sense of understanding, even if Yuugi didn't understand everything going on around him. The boy's small frame was a starking contrast to his age, which was a whopping sixteen. Silky, tri-colored hair circled his petite face like an angelic halo of gold, black and magenta. It was the quality of innocence that attracted people to him and gave his that air of leadership. Every one of his friends were willing to die for this young man in front of the spirit, and for good reason. He had already saved the world twice! In one year!

"Me and Jou had plans to catch a ball game for school," he turned around to look at the pharaoh. "Do you want to come?" Yuugi asked excitedly. His violent eyes sparked up with the prospect of having his most loved person in the world at his side during the Domino baseball game.

"Ball game?"

"Baseball! You know, that sport we watched yesterday with the guy throwing a ball and another one hitting it!"

"Oh. Well, sure!"

Yuugi smiled; and for a moment, Yami was blinded by the intensity of this young man's candor.

"Yuugi! Yami! Jou's here!" Grandpa Motou called from downstairs. Yuugi looked at the clock on the wall.

"He's early."

"Is that bad?"

"No, but Jou's one to be late...not early..."

"Do you think something's wrong?"

"Not necessarily..."

"Why don't we go on down and see?"

"Yeah!" pulled on his blue school jacket, Yuugi bounded down the steps with Yami in tow. Something gnawed at the back of Yami's mind, but he pushed it aside.

"Jou?" Yuugi called when they reached the bottom of the steps.

"Hey Yuug'..."

Sitting in a chair in the kitchen was Yuugi's blonde, Boston accented friend, holding an ice pack to his face, with millions of minute gashes all over his body.

–

Whew! Sorry that took me so long to get out. English has really been swamping me with school work and things have been happening at home and–I'm just making up excuses. What matters is, I updated ; Thank you so much for all your reviews!

Sapphire Dragons: Thank you ; I was kind of tired of seeing those two always acting extremely stupid around each other. And Feng Shui is the Chinese art or practice of positioning objects, especially graves, buildings, and furniture, based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and the flow of chi that have positive and negative effects.

ember-fang: YAY! I have a new fan!! ;

mandapandabug: chibi eyes stutters Thank you for that big ego boost! I don't think I'm one of the best writers on here, but thank you! huggles I hope you find you're adjective soon...lolz.

Ice Flame: I guess the old 'Kaiba you're such a bastard!' and the conveniently placed 'Jou fell into Seto's lap and they began making out passionately' thing got a bit old for you? Well, I'm glad I could give you a taste of something different.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews, I can't wait to read more!! ;


	3. Turkey, Anyone?

It took a little while for the kappa Kaiba to realize that _it _was the source of all the incessant ringing. It's sensitive ears took quite a thrashing with the loud ring tone the _real_ Seto Kaiba had set. The kappa ignored the phone for a few seconds, instead focusing on the direction in which it thought the blonde artist had disappeared to. However, since there was neither hide nor hair, the water-sprite gave up and resigned itself back into Kaiba's subconscious.

When Seto opened his eyes, it was like waking from a dreamless sleep. For a few moments, he couldn't orient himself enough to figure out which way was down; and he ended up flat on his face within about three seconds. He couldn't figure out why his eyes were so heavy and clouded.

Finally, the annoying ring tone set to his cell phone abolished the vertigo of coming to, and he fumbled with his pocket for a few minutes, and then answered the small device.

"Kaiba." He spoke harshly, as he did with every business associate.

"Ah, Kaiba-sama," came the nasally voice at the other end of his small Nextel. "A Pegasus J. Crawford has asked me to deliver you a message personally. Would you like it now or would you like to wait until you come to the office?"

Brown hair ruffled in the wet breeze; tossing and turning Seto's hair into his face. Small, wet tears of the sky caressed his face, leaving crystalline tracks in their wake. Unconsciously tightening his grip on his small cell phone, Kaiba's eyes narrowed at the mention of Pegasus' name.

"What does he want?" Seto spat. He turned on the heel of his boot and stalked across the schoolyard, past the slightly distorted trees and out onto the slippery sidewalk with a palette of mud, grass and gravel. The streets of Domino were darkened, with very few cars running on it–and those that were ended up splashing innocent onlookers with breaks of water. Like the vegetation on the other side of the school's fence, Seto's mood was seriously dampened.

There were some shuffling on the other end of the receiver, and there was a crackling before his secretaries voice. "It seems he has found something pertaining to Duel Monsters inside a Pyramid at Giza. He says he would like to set up an appointment with you to discuss what he found and possible increases of both companies. What would you like me to tell him?"

Seto wanted dearly to say: "Tell him to go jump off a bridge," but with the possibility of an increase in his company's share, who could resist? "Schedule an appointment with him on a day that I have very little going on. If he has anything else to say, tell him to contact me personally."

"Yes, Kaiba-sama." There was the sound of a keyboard clicking. "Are you coming into work today, Kaiba-sama?"

He thought about it. Seto knew he should. He hadn't been into Kaiba Corporation for the past few days, but right now he felt funny. Somewhat lightheaded and a bit nauseous. "No, I will not. Take all my messages for me and pass them along directly to my computer at home."

"Very well, sir. Have a nice day."

Kaiba snapped his cell phone back into his pocket, hitting the red "off" button as he went. Once the small device was nestled safely into the convenient hole in his school jacket, Seto wiped his eyes, ridding them of obstructing rain and began to pace back and forth, waiting for his driver.

He had only taken a few steps when a small piece of paper slipped out of his pocket and whispered to the ground, hitting the wet pavement with a small _plip_. Seto Kaiba crunched it before he knew what was happening, and the picture Jou drew was ruined, stained in mud, soaked through with rain and wrinkled beyond recognition, with nothing but a solitary footprint to lead a person to the murder of the beautiful drawing

Seto didn't notice. The soft crunching sounded like the petals of a flower opening to him. He was so preoccupied with the thought of Pegasus and the finding for Duel Monsters that all other thoughts took a backseat. It was only when his chauffeur pulled up did he finally realize he stepped on something.

Of course, seeing as how he was pacing in front of a school, one would come to expect to trod upon some poor saps homework. So, passing it off as such, Seto hopped into the open door of his limo and was whisked away without another thought.

On the ground, the paper fluttered in the wind, one corner turning up, followed by the other three in the same fashion until the sorry mass of mud and water was airborne in the still wind, hovering after Seto Kaiba's limo, like a butterfly coasting in a thermal; dancing in the breeze. When it got close enough, an extra burst of air propelled the paper forward so it clung to the rear tail light of the decent sized limo.

Everyone was none the wiser.

–

The warm water felt heavenly divine running down his body, hitting a few more sensitive spots than the rain had. Jou relaxed against the cold tile of the nook reserved for the shower, letting his back absorb the cold and then gradually warm up with the waterfall of gentle caresses from the showerhead. He sighed, brushing his long locks out of his face with one hand, reaching for the bottle of shampoo with the other.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Jou had on only a towel gently hung around his waist when he stepped out of the bathroom, another fluffy length of cotton was tangled in his goldenrod hair, trying to get it dry. His broad chest was dripping with water droplets, reflecting the flourescent lights beaming down from his hallway ceiling.

He felt utterly refreshed; his body was radiating the heat from the relaxing shower in small waves as the warmth collided with the cold. Goosebumps rose on his flesh as he got dressed, loving the feel of cotton pajama pants against his skin. Throwing his fluffy, white towel to the floor, Jou stretched.

A clatter from the kitchen scattered Jou's attention from his shirt to the front of the house. It sounded like someone dropping the fruit bowl that always sat so placidly on the counter with the microwave. Curiosity getting the better of him, Jou let the white shirt in his hand flop to the cleanly carpeted floor and he walked out into the hallway.

The hallway was clear, as lonesome as it had ever been. However, there was an intimation of movement in the front of the house–not much, just a distortion of the wavelengths in the air.

"Hello?" Jou called. If it was his dad, he would answer, and the blonde would continue dressing. If it wasn't...

There was no answer, and Jou raised a slender eyebrow. He started walking down the dimly lit hallway, nearly on tip-toe for fear of alerting whoever was in the kitchen. He stepped over the line that separated the hallway from the living because it creaked, loudly, and Jou was started to hear more noises in the kitchen. They were mostly banging, like someone was having an issue with the pots and pans. There was the occasional _thump_ of something hitting the floor. Something hard...and metallic.

Jou's sopping wet school jacket still hung on the hook by the door. It was still damp and darkened in some places, and droplets still hit the rug from the white cuffs of his sleeves. His black tennis shoes had been displaced. The blonde was sure they were sitting by his fathers blue slippers when he walked in. Now they were sitting by the table with the vase of flowers, _on the other side of the doorway._

Something growled within the contours of the echoing kitchen. It reverberated from one white wall to the other and then bounced into Jou's ears, making him shudder. A stripe of yellow passed over his back and for a millisecond, he contemplated running. What if the place was haunted? Spooks scared the blonde.

Taking a quiet breath, Jou forced himself to calm down. There was no such thing as ghosts! Now get your ass in there and get whoever is in the kitchen!

Bare shoulders thrown back, Jou lifted his head and strode into the kitchen before his steely resolved could rust. His bare feet slapped the tile of the kitchen loudly as he fixed the culprit with a dark amber stare.

There was nothing there. The purple plastic bowl of fresh fruit was strewn on the floor–to be sure, and the cabinet for the pots and pans was open, but there was _absolutely nothing_ in the kitchen. The white topped counters were dimmed with the lack of light, the various appliances were still scrubbed clean and in their proper places. The dishwasher was closed; the rest of the cabinets were closed and...

...and there was something in the sink.

Gulping down a wad of saliva that had decided to coagulate in the back of his throat, Jou took the two leaping steps towards the sink and almost threw himself in with the force of looking over from a distance; only his carelessly positioned arms on either side of the silver basin prevented him from falling face-first into a wad of fur.

"What in the hell...?"

Delicate mouth turned down in a frown, Jou plucked the small bundle of black up from the sink. He turned it around to face him by the scruff of it's neck.

Innocent, yet bashful, green eyes gazed at him with a shimmer of fear. The kitten's forepaws were pressed together, as an abused sidekick might wring his hands when his master was angry. The silky fur was wrinkled at the shoulders where it was hunched up, as if Jou's touch burned it. Granted, the strength of the blonde's grip might've been hurting it, but the kitten seemed to be glaring at something behind Jou.

Just to check, Jounouchi whipped his head around fast, spraying the black kitten with droplets from his shower. There was nothing behind him. Suspiciously, Jou put the kitten down on the counter and crouched until he was eye level with the feline.

"How'd you get in?" he asked, as if the cat would answer. Given the circumstances of how it got in, the blonde wouldn't have been surprised if the thing opened it's maw and sung a ballad.

Suddenly, there came a noise behind Jou. A light footfall, nothing more, but enough to grab his attention. Heart thudding against his ribcage so loud that he could hear it throughout the apartment, Jou pivoted in place, trying to prepare himself for what might come.

There was nothing there but the sighing of air. Jou's stomach was fluttering now–shuddering to the point of nausea.

A kitten behind him on the counter was hissing now, small, yet pointy teeth bared to their fullest. It was crouched on it's haunches, so the soaking furball that didn't look all that intimidating.

Jou turned back, but as he did, a breath of cold air washed over him and froze his skin. It felt like he had been thrown out into a bank of snow in his birthday suit. Even his hair stood on end. Jou could hear a silent wind in the air, like somebody trying to breathe through a tube.

The kitten on the counter lost it. It took off from it's perch on the clean platform and latched onto Jou's bare chest, sinking its sharp claws into the cold, sensitive skin. Little drops of blood immediately began to seep out. The kitten skittered up his chest to his shoulder, using its claws to find the balance to work it's way up. The small black feline went all over Jou's body like a squirrel, chasing something that wasn't there, leaving gashes, scratches and puncture wounds wherever it touched. And the worst part? Jou _couldn't move._ He felt the pain of the cat digging into his skin, biting every now and then, but he couldn't open his mouth–he couldn't blink, twitch, break away and run.

_This crazy cats gonna carve me up like a turkey!_ Was the horrid realization. Inside, his stomach heaved and hoed, wanting to shake this feeling of dread, to run away and jump in a fire. To rid himself of this inane animal that was carving up his already sculpted body and to cast of the blanket of ice that had been unceremoniously thrown against him.

And then, it was all gone. Jou was warm again and the cat was sitting on the floor licking its white paws in a contended manner. It looked up at the mauled Jou with eyes that said: 'what? I just saved your butt kid, don't give me that look.' It purred.

Jou's chest heaved with air, forcing his lungs to work to make his brain go...to make him run! _This is insane!_ his brain screamed. A million thoughts per second poured into his consciousness.

_Run!_

_Kill it!_

_Faint!_

_Throw it out!_

_Jump out the window!_

_Eat a banana!_

_No, an orange!_

_Banana!_

_Orange!_

_Oh, for Chrissakes!_

Jou didn't have to think twice. Streaking through the kitchen in bare feet, skidding around the corner (just in time to avoid the sharp end that could have conveniently shattered his hip-bone), the blonde snapped up his still-damp jacket, threw open the door and dashed down the hall with one destination in mind: The Kame Turtle Shop.

-

Sugoroku Motou was dusting off the case housing a few of his own special Duel Monsters cards when the summons at the door came. Sugoroku was Yuugi Motou's grandfather of seventy-two long years. He was short, extremely stout, with a mop of silver hair that resembled Yuugi's almost perfectly. Passerby on the streets often wondered what type of hair gel the grandfather and grandson used, and where they could buy a bottle.

Yuugi's grandpa only had to cast a sidelong glance at the glass door to know who it was. Only Katsuya Jounouchi would come to the door and pound so hard. It sounded almost like a knock of desperation.

"Alright, I'm coming, Jounouchi. Tell the Chainsaw Killer to hold his horses." The old man chuckled at his own joke. He undid the chain at the door, not bothering to pay attention to the fact that Yuugi's best friend was shirtless, shoeless, and bleeding. "Well, what brings you here...so...early...Jounouchi! Are you alright? Come in, come in. Oh, dear. Let me get you some bandages!" the elderly man finally noticed Jou's wounds, pale face and sweating body.

Knees weak, arms heavy and chest heaving again, Jou staggered into the shop, hoping that his legs would hold him as Grandpa Moutou bustled off to the back of the shop where the bathroom was located. Ice would feel good on his sweat-dripping body. On the back counter, by the cash register, was a box of tissues. Leaning heavily against the glass case that contained a variety of board games, card games and little figurines, Jou pushed a shuddering hand to the square of tissue poking up from the red and white box (that proudly sported: _Kleenex_ on the side) and ripped it from it's hold, pressing it to a particularly deep gash on his forehead.

"Here you are Jounouchi. Let me get Yuugi..." Grandpa returned with a armful of band-aids, ace bandages, gauze pads, lengths of cloth bandages, cotton balls and rubbing alcohol. "Yuugi! Yami! Jou's here!" he yelled up the steps to his grandson's room. "Come on, Jounouchi. Let's get you in a chair."

Still holding the tissue to his forehead (which was now sticky with drying blood), Jou followed Grandpa Motou through the door of the shop and back into a brightly-lit kitchen. Letting his load drop on the round table that stood proudly in the middle of the clean, white kitchen, Grandpa pulled a chair out for the injured blonde to sit on.

"Let's get you cleaned up..." he muttered, opening the tall, clear bottle of rubbing alcohol. When the first cotton ball touched the side of his face, Jou flinched away. Yuugi's grandpa leaned in closer and inspected the face of the blonde. "You've got something of a black eye there, Jou. I'll get you a pack of ice."

The thundering steps of Yuugi and Yami could be heard even through the small haze of pain that was now settling itself quite comfortably into Jou's nervous system.

"Jou?" Yuugi called, jumping off the last step onto the hardwood floor that lead into the kitchen. Yami was right behind him.

"Hey, Yuug'..." the small teenager looked around, wondering why Jou sounded so despaired. He finally settled onto the blonde duelist receiving medical attention from his grandpa.

"Jou! What happened?" while Yuugi bounded over to the table to interrogate his best friend, Yami leaned casually against the door to the kitchen. Something wasn't right here. Jou's body and cuts reeked of a familiar demonic presence. His mind felt exhausted as well; Yami could feel the solid block of pressure that was Jou's fatigue spread throughout the whole room.

Grandpa Motou finished bandaging Jou's chest and left the boys alone, dragging his medical supplies with him. His overalls had uncuffed at the ankles in the rush (they had gotten caught on the radiator in the hallway) of seeing to Jounouchi's wounds. The seventy-two year old passed Yami in the doorway and the two shared a look of understanding; purple connecting with red wine.

Jou's eye twitched at the stinging of his scratches. The usually bright amber iris was darkened with the pain and he felt stiff in the bandaging that criss-crossed his chest and arms and the band-aids that were stuck to his face and the ice on his eye was felt like it was freezing his brain.

Yuugi sat in a chair across from his blonde friend, feet not even close to touching the floor. His large, violet eyes started into Jou's own, expectantly. Yami crossed the room and stood behind his hikari, waiting for the other duelists' story. He too, was curious.

"Well...don't laugh, but this is what happened..."

When Jou's story was finished, Yuugi looked back at Yami, their eyes holding the same amount of perplexity. They didn't know whether to laugh at the fact a cat had almost dissected Jou, offer to have an exorcism performed or say 'good one, Jounouchi,' and continue with their lives.

"Are you sure that's all that happened?" Yami finally asked, for which Yuugi was grateful. The shorter one wasn't sure if what he wanted to say would come across right to Jounouchi–Yuugi didn't want to be insulting.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Yami gazed at Jou steadily, trying to probe with his mind into the recesses of Jou's anxiety, making sure that the recount was accounted for.

"Do you want us to go back to your house and check things out?" Yuugi asked, sitting on the edge of his chair, ready to rush to the other side of town. The duelist was truly concerned for his best friend, especially since the proof of it all was seeping through the bandages. Yuugi looked back at Yami, and was startled to see comprehension dawn in those captivating red eyes, and immediately began wondering what the pharaoh was thinking (he could have easily accessed their silver connection easily, but felt it would be inappropriate for the time).

"You know what I think, Jounouchi?" Yami tapped the edge of his jaw with a slender finger, coming around to the other side of the round table to pull himself up a chair. An idea was indeed forming in his head.

Jounouchi looked up sharply, accidentally putting too much pressure on his eye with the ice pack. Yami would probably know–and be right about it.

"I think something was trying to possess you."

-

Author's Notes: There ya go! A whopping nine pages of enjoyment. I'm terribly sorry for not getting this out earlier, but...yeah. Thanks to anyone who reviewed and thank you all for being patient. Yes, things are moving a bit slow, but it all has a purpose! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Dark Duels

Seto closed his eyes and leaned against the cold window. Stress was beginning to accumulate in the front of his head and he felt like he was going to explode. Painkillers sounded wonderful at the moment. Sometimes he wished he could just disappear and be a normal person—not worrying about working or making money or providing for his little brother. Being a father, a CEO, and a model student was more difficult than it sounded.

Blue eyes opened and drank in the world; people rushed hither and thither, so preoccupied with their previous engagements that they never stopped to think twice about the ragged man with the unruly beard sitting against the brick wall of a building. People hurried by, calculating their day in a matter of minutes; murmuring on their cell phones about what stocks to buy and what to sell; going over a mental checklist of the days groceries. The man against the wall, however, sat with his legs bowed in the classic yoga position. His eyes were opened and unmoving—he almost gave the appearance of death. If someone bothered to pay attention, however, they would have seen that the man was observing. He was looking at the world in a disconnected manner—appreciating the life-giving rain, the shadows dancing off of reflections and just loving to be alive. A small smile was noticeable on his face. Though he was in rags and was soaking wet without any place to seek out for shelter, he was happy.

As the light changed from red to green, the limo pulled away. Seto glanced back at the man—a longing feeling in the pit of his stomach—only to find the man was gone.

Sighing, his eyes returned to the front and focused on the task ahead. What was he going to do about Pegasus? Seto could only imagine what things the rival company-man had in store…and most of them were incredibly unpleasant. The CEO of Kaiba-Corp. never really forgave the man for kidnapping his little brother. Although Pegasus had become slightly toned-down, Seto could have died happy if he never saw the man again.

The limo made the familiar turn into the looping driveway of the Kaiba mansion and stopped at the front door. A smartly dressed chauffer got out and opened the door for Seto.

Without a second glance back, Seto exited the limo and walked straight into the house (a maid opened the door). Mokuba bounded down the stairs a few minutes later and barely caught the tail-end of Seto's school uniform disappear into his office. The younger Kaiba pouted briefly and consented to wait for thirty minutes at the most. After all, his big brother had _promised_ to take him to the ball game.

Inside the office, Seto sat in his comfortable leather chair and hesitated a moment before picking up the phone. He quickly dialed a number that came so easily to him, as it had many times before.

It rang twice before it was answered.

"Ahh, Seto Kaiba! So good of you to return my phone calls!" an all-too familiar drawl exclaimed.

"You sound surprised, Pegasus." Seto kept his voice cool and professional. Keep the conversation to business, and he would be free in twenty minutes.

"Oh, you know how it goes in this business. Some partners are just _so_ frighteningly unreliable," there was a hint of sarcasm in the millionaire's voice.

Seto didn't respond. Instead, he waited for Pegasus to continue the conversation.

"I'm sure you're dying to know why I've asked you to call me, aren't you?" there was amusement. Pegasus J. Crawford _loved_ playing games of cat and mouse.

"My secretary has informed me that you've discovered something in Giza regarding Duel Monsters. What is it?" Seto's fingers began drumming on his desk in time with the drumming of the rain on his window sill.

The man on the other end of the line sighed. "Always straight to the point, aren't you, Kaiba? You're no fun at all. All right. On my latest dig, as you know, we were excavating for a rumored hidden passage that led farther down into the pyramid than the current depth. Have you heard this rumor?"

Seto hadn't, but Pegasus wasn't to know that. "I had heard something like that."

"Of course. Well, needless to say, we found it. Inside the treasure chamber of the late Pharaoh Khufu, whom, as you know had the temple built for his burial. You also are aware, I'm sure, of his fascination with magic and the mystic arts, correct?"

That one Seto had heard. His own fascination with Egypt had him study up on a lot of lore and history, including those of the pyramids and the Sphinx. Seto was particularly captivated by Khufu and his successor, Khafre, who has been rumored to have built the mysterious Sphinx. "Yes, I am very familiar with this fact."

One thing Seto hated about talking with Pegasus was the self-fulfilling spins that the man tended to put on his stories.

"Well, inside the chamber was a wall inscribed with the great deeds of Khufu, namely, the building of his pyramid. Some test probing revealed that the wall was not solid—there was nothing but air behind it and you know how unstable that could make a room. So, to put it simply, we knocked through the wall. Behind it was a long tunnel that seemed to span the whole way of Giza. Along the walls were paintings and inscriptions that became increasingly similar to what we know as Duel Monsters. The end of the tunnel opened up into a huge cavern."

Seto was trying to picture this all in his mind. He imagined a very bare, sandy walkway with limestone walls. The walls would be cracked, but the inscriptions untouched and nearly perfectly preserved. In his mind, the walls were huge; the monsters on the wall would be dominating and magnificent. As the tunnel progressed, Seto imagined that the monsters got bigger and more clearly defined, more glorious and slightly more menacing.

"The cavern was like nothing I'd ever seen before, Kaiba! It was amazing—no, breathtaking! The size was unimaginable! It was pitch black, obviously, but as the diggers scattered to light it up, it was stunning. The walls were smooth and carved with all of the imprints we'd seen in the tunnel. There was a crystal clear moat that surrounding the most beautiful of all the structures in that cavern: a solid gold altar. It was a little dusty, but the sheer beauty and craftsmanship still radiated off of it. Upon closer investigation, we saw that there was a book of incantations, very similar to the design of the Book of Life. There was also one more thing that was striking about the altar…"

Unfortunately, Seto had to take the bait: "Which was…?"

"Human skeletons! They were all around the altar! Some were even on the altar. Here was a place of practiced human sacrifice!"

This idea stunned the brunette for a moment. A secret site of sacrifice? "That's all well and good, Pegasus, but just what exactly does it have to do with Duel Monsters?"

"Patience, my dear Kaiba, patience. We did some research with the incantation book and discovered that it was used to appease the beasts carved upon the walls—the Duel Monsters! These people believed that the spirits of these Duel Monsters were malevolent beings, intent upon human destruction, and that the only way to keep them at bay was to give them the blood of the willing! Unfortunately, we discovered something terrible about that altar."

"Terrible?"

"The sacrifices were conducted upon that altar, with the necessary blood being diverted into a "storage chamber," if you will, inside of it. Further reading of the book revealed that if the blood were to ever dry up, then these spirits would be released into the world to begin wreaking havoc."

"So?"

"Well, when we broke the seal and looked inside, there was nothing but dust. As we shone a light inside, _something_ flew out."

"What do you mean 'something flew out?'"

"I'm not sure what exactly it was, but it was a large manifestation. It blew by us, and those it touched keeled over and died where they lay. The short amount of time it remained in the cavern, everyone was filled with a sense of pure evil, of nothing but dread. Several other men fainted. Then, it went down the tunnel and was gone."

"I'm not sure I'm following the significance of this thing. Are you saying that it is the spirits of all these Duel Monsters? Now that it's out, it's going to wipe out the planet?"

"It was like opening a Pandora's Box. After we returned to our encampment, we started hearing rumors of an epidemic of disease and more terrifying ghost stories than I care to recount. Seto, I'm afraid we may have unleashed something terrible into the world, and I need your help to stop it."

-

"Possessed? Whadaya mean, 'possessed?'" Jounouchi looked from Yuugi to Yami and back, hoping someone would clarify.

"Would you like me to get you a dictionary, Jou?" Yami returned. He crossed his long, slender legs in front of him and looked like he was about to settled down and give a lecture to a small child. "When a spirit is in need, or has a wicked soul bound to Earth, sometimes it will try and commandeer a body." Yami paused to let this statement sink into Jou's head. He continued with: "The body can then be used for whatever purpose the spirit has in mind; trickery, comfort of a loved one, finishing unfinished business and the like. Nine times out of ten, though, the possession is for evil intent."

"Then what about that damn cat that nearly clawed me to death?" One of the blonde's slender fingers went unconsciously to his chest, slightly caressing one of the deeper scratches.

Yuugi giggled slightly. "I don't think that cat was out to kill you, Jou! I think it was trying to protect you!"

"Then it's got a nasty sense of protection!" chocolate eyes narrowed in anger. To him, protection meant not allowing the protected to get hurt!

"It's an animal, Jou," Yami said. "Animals are much better at sensing the spirit world than human beings. It was reacting on instinct. If my hunch is correct, you would do well to keep the cat around."

"Yeah, but, why me?" Jou whined. Why was his apartment haunted, and not the alcoholic's apartment directly below?

"That," Yuugi interrupted, can be decided after the game. If we don't hurry, we're going to be late!" The group of three grabbed their coats and walked out, calling a hurried goodbye to Sugoroku as they went.

-

Hey, guys! Long time no see! This chapter is to prove to you that I am, in fact, still alive and kicking! I know this is a lot of boring and mundane information to take in, but I promise it will tie in better to later chapters. I have myself set at a goal of one chapter per week, hopefully on Wednesdays, so we'll see how that goes.

I hope you enjoyed! If I've gotten any facts wrong, I apologize. The research was kind of hasty. Of course, some facts are distorted for the literary value, so don't kill me! Constructive criticism is always welcome and encouraged!


	5. Homerun Hitters

"Bases are loaded. Domino needs just two men to touch home. Honda steps up to the plate. The pitch is low and fast and oh! Just too far to the right. Strike one! Here comes another. Honda steps into it. Oh, no! He missed again! This could spell the beginning of the end for Domino's playoff contention."

Hiroto Honda swore under his breath, tapping the bat against his cleat, knocking off a dirt clod or two. Sweat was accumulating too fast on his brow, and he used the sleeve of his uniform to address the issue. It came away stained brown and yellow. Deep breaths, even deeper breaths and then a breath so deep he almost couldn't let it back out. No pressure, right? Strike out now, and he was the laughing stock of Domino High. All he needed to do was get the ball into right field, away from the guy on third base. Who cares if he ended up getting tagged out? He'd be a hero! Another deep breath; and the brunette raised the baseball bat in an antagonizing slow motion, but there it was. He was ready. This was it.

Brown eyes steeled themselves on the pitcher. The pitcher glared back and spat on the mound. Just for effect, he tapped the ball into his glove before rearing back to let fly. It was going to be a tricky curve ball to the inside. He watched Honda steady himself to step into the ball. It was done; the hitter was too far over home base to get any sort of spin on the ball.

"Strike three!"

"That does it from Domino Field, folks. Final score: Rintama seven, Domino six. Rintama will advance to the first round of the playoffs against Ojima next week."

"Wow. That was…unexpected," Yuugi observed, peering down anxiously as his friend Honda walked off the field, refusing to join his team in shaking hands with their rivals. "I hope he's not going to take that too hard…" the young man had pulled himself up off the metal bleachers and was leaning over the railing in an attempt to see how his friend was reacting. In a second, Jou had reached over and placed his hands gently on his friend's waist, coaxing back down. Somewhere, deep down in his gut, he knew Yami would be freaking out and Jou didn't really want a pharaonic wrath cast upon him.

"Taking it too hard? Honda? Pfft. You know he's in the locker room trashing it right now, right, Yuugi?" were the words of wisdom offered from the taller blonde. Yuugi's eyes widened in response.

"Should we go down there? Tell him it's okay? Should we…"

_Congratulate him when he leaves the locker room and has a chance to cool down? Yes, that we should do._

"You okay, Yuug'?" the dueling genius' eyes vacated themselves for a hot second.

"Huh? Yeah. Yami says we should wait a little while. Let him…cool off." The trio had made it halfway back to the high school before they realized that Yami was probably better off being heard, not seen. Much to his (and Yuugi's disappointment) the Pharaoh had retreated to his Puzzle. When the time came to occupy the bleachers, they chose a spot where Yuugi and his shadow self could trade spots on the down low, reducing the threat of anyone noticing two people inhabited one.

Jou considered the suggestion before nodding in agreement, his blonde hair flopping down into his face. He swiped it away, antagonizing one of the cuts on his forehead. "Let's go meet him by the gym, then."

As the bleachers emptied, the pair wandered down and entered the school building through one of the side entrances. The clouds above had ceased their moist onslaught, but remained dark with the threat of more rain. Occasional sunlight cast ominous shadows against the tall stone structure.

Once inside, it was easy to make their way down to the athletics center. Most of the crowd had gone right for the parking lot in hopes of escaping before traffic really jammed up. They passed the occasional administrator in silence and made their way to the gym unmolested. Yuugi's bright violet eyes darted this way and that, hoping to find a sufficient enough deficit in the number of people around to let Yami out. No such luck. Every time they turned a corner, someone would be standing there.

_Settle down, little one. I am perfectly content to wait until we get home._

_ You are not. Quit telling stories. You want to be out of that prison as much as I want you out._

_ That may be true, but I have the patience enough to wait until a better opportunity presents itself. You should learn the same._

Somewhere in the midst of his conversation, Yuugi felt a sharp jab in his side. Grunting a little, he glared up at Jou, and then looked at why the blonde had elbowed him.

Walking down the hallway towards them, Mokuba bouncing and talking away happily at his brother's side, the eyes of Seto Kaiba had locked on to the pair. His strides quickened and became more purposeful until he was almost dragging his younger brother behind him.

"Seto, hey…Seto! Slow down! What are you—Yuugi!" the raven-haired youngster abruptly let go of his brother's hand and sped off ahead of him. "Yuugi! What are you doing here? Did you watch the game?"

A small smile graced the lips of Jounouchi. The kid was fun and full of energy and life. His stare shifted to the older Kaiba. There was a man who usually sucked all the fun and life out of every situation. It was strange how the pair got along to begin with, but Mokuba obviously felt he had the greatest big brother in the world—and Jou would not try to change that opinion for anything. However, eyeballing the CEO from a distance, he looked more troubled than usual. His ice blue eyes were darkened with either his thoughts or his mood (or both) and he was looking at Yuugi with a frightening sort of intent. It wasn't an unattractive look, either, Jou noticed. It gave Seto a passionate, driven appearance; something completely different from the icy, untouchable, king-of-the world façade. His eyes were alive, and the stone setting of his jaw gave him a wild, sexy look.

Sexy? Using that word to describe Seto Kaiba? Jounouchi would be the first to admit the other man was classifiable as sexy. Men and women alike had their strengths and weaknesses to pulling off said look and Seto, unconsciously or not, seemed to be exuding it without really trying.

"May I speak to you, Yuugi…" he glanced quickly at Jounouchi. "…alone?" there was a serious bite to Kaiba's voice, and he spoke with such gravity that Jou immediately sidelined himself in favor of finding Honda.

Once alone, Seto turned to the small boy and spoke softly.

"Pegasus has found something in Egypt. Something big."

There was no need to elaborate the word 'something.' When it came to Seto and Yuugi speaking, there was only one subject of conversation: Duel Monsters.

An alarm bell went off in Yuugi's head. An alarm bell in the form of an old Pharaoh.

_How big?_

"How big?" Yuugi found himself asking. He blinked in momentary confusion, the power and energy behind Yami's own questioning had surged out without him realizing.

"Global."

"That's…pretty big. And you don't look happy. It sounds like something bad, as well as big."

"That might be an understatement. I'm leaving for Egypt…tomorrow."

If possible, Seto's eyes grew brighter. There was a deeper meaning behind the emphasis he used on 'tomorrow.' Yuugi was silent for a few minutes, pondering what Seto could possibly be asking for. Yami was the one to decode the hidden message.

"We'll be there."

Seto nodded once, and then extended his hand towards Mokuba, who looked back, horrified.

"You're leaving again, big brother? I thought you said you were staying longer this time!" big, dark doe eyes stared down their lighter relative, glossing over with what were the beginnings of tears.

"Hush, Mokuba. We'll talk later." And that was that. The Kaiba brothers walked off, hand in hand, one slightly more dejected than the other. In fact, Seto's posture had become more upright, if that was even possible, and the sway of his body as he walked even seemed happier, more relaxed; relieved, even.

Yuugi watched them go, a contemplative look on his face. He jumped when Jou's hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"I found Honda."

Jounouchi had in fact found their friend, sitting alone and dejected on the floor outside the locker room, still in his baseball uniform. It took some work, but the blonde finally convinced the brunette to move, with the argument that pouting wouldn't fix the situation.

"Are you alright, Honda?" Yuugi asked, patting his friend on the arm. He peered upwards through the golden veil that served as his bangs, almost enticing Honda to smile. Almost.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He shrugged roughly, as if rolling it off his shoulders would roll it off his mind. "Why don't we go find something to eat?"

"I'm in!"

"You know, normally, I'd be all for it," Yuugi said, toning down the mischievous light in his eyes and replacing it with a serious look. "But we've got to get some sleep. Our plane for Egypt leaves tomorrow morning."

Honda's face deadpanned. "Our what leaves for where tomorrow?"

"Our plane leaves for Egypt tomorrow." Yuugi repeated. "With Kaiba."

The brunette took a second to pound his ear like he had water in it. "I'm sorry…our what leaves for where with who now?"

"Apparently Pegasus has made some huge discovery regarding Duel Monsters. He didn't quite specify…but I was hoping you guys would come with me to get the details. He didn't seem too keen on talking about it here." The shorter duelist relayed the information as if it were something completely natural; like they and their biggest rival were always traveling together whether for business or pleasure. Or the fact that they always traveled abroad on a whim.

Hiroto Honda peered down the pinnacle of his very pointed hair. Right now, Yuugi was receiving the most disapproving stare that he could muster: the rest was set aside for his baseball performance. "So why does he need us to go along? He's never needed us before." His voice grated deep with agitation and undisguised disgust.

Yuugi could only shrug in response. "I'm sure he doesn't exactly _need_ us, per say. But he definitely seems happier knowing we're coming along. Probably because of this." He gestured briefly to the pyramid hanging from his neck. "Well, what's inside, anyway. Will you come with me tonight?"

"Can't we just wait until morning? Going to Kaiba's place is creepy to begin with…but going to Kaiba's place at night? Are you crazy?" Honda shivered for emphasis, clutching the blue uniform tightly.

"I'll go with you, Yuugi." Jou finally spoke up from the side. The other boy brightened.

"Really?"

"Sure, could be fun." Chocolate eyes darted as calmly as they could manage between the two in front of him. Honda was staring suspiciously and Yuugi was having trouble containing his joy.

"Great! Let's go!" He turned on his heel and started off towards the exit, getting lost in his head again.

"'Could be fun?'" Jounouchi waved off the raised eyebrow his friend was giving him.

"We all know Kaiba's beef with Yuugi, am I right?" he began walking as he explained the logic behind his decision. Honda nodded in agreement. "Given their past history, Kaiba could be looking to lure Yuugi into something dangerous, am I right?" now his tone was beginning to get downright sarcastic and the brunette could only glare. In reality, the only reason Jou was willing to accompany his friend was because he didn't want to go home alone.

"Alright, alright. I get it. I'll go home and cry myself to sleep later." He threw his hands up in resignation.

"I'll even give you a teddy bear so you can cuddle and suck your thumb. C'mon."

"By the way, dude, I gotta ask what happened to your face…"

#%

"Seto, what if—" Mokuba tried for the millionth time. This time, the older brother nipped the conversation in the bud.

"You're staying here whether you like it or not, kiddo. You can't come this time. I'm sorry."

"You promised—"

"I know what I promised, little brother. I'll make it up to you."

"That's what you said the last time and now you're—"

"Hush, Mokuba."

Under the steely gaze of the CEO across from him, Mokuba thumped further down in his seat, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest. He pretended to focus hard on something outside of the limo window.

Seto really did feel bad about having to pack up and leave again so suddenly; he'd only just gotten back from America, after all. His gaze softened as he looked over at his younger sibling. Mokuba was everything he had, and he knew how miserable he made the boy feel. Unfortunately, he had to remain rough to acclimate his brother to the harsh realities of life and to keep himself from making mistakes.

The limo pulled up to the Kaiba Mansion for the second time that day, and Mokuba exited angrily, stomping his feet on the pavement of the driveway. He disappeared silently into the house.

As the car pulled off, something white fluttered in front of Kaiba's face. It settled to an unsure stop at his leather shoes. Picking it up, Seto saw it as a soggy piece of paper. Turning it over, Seto saw the sketch Jounouchi had drawn of him earlier. Some of the pencil had been smudged a bit, and a pang of guilt hit his stomach.

The moment Jou and he had shared sitting in the classroom had been a very…different moment. Conflict usually brought the two together, and they were almost always at odds. This time, though, Jou had looked so content and peaceful bowed over his artwork that even the infamous Seto Kaiba hadn't been able to bring himself to break that peace. Something about the guy nagged at Seto…something…that was all too comforting and all too familiar at the same time. Seto smoothed the drawing out as best he could, then he turned and headed inside, still staring at it.

There were a lot of phone calls to be made.


	6. That's a Nice Bedroom You Have There

"Mr. Kaiba? I do apologize for the interruption, but you have visitors."

Seto's blue eyes sprang up sharply from his cluttered desk, furious at being distracted. The porter at the door made a tremendous effort not to flinch when the icy daggers settled on him. Instead, he focused on straightening his posture and wringing his hands behind his back.

"I believe, Mr. Anuya, that I specifically requested not to be disturbed under any circumstances," was the crisp, harsh reply.

"Ah, yessir, as you well know, sir, under normal circumstances I wouldn't dare. However, it is Yuugi Mouto at the door."

At the mention of Yuugi, Seto finally set down his pen and pushed his chair back, standing up. He brushed passed the porter and started down the hall.

Mr. Anuya visibly relaxed as Kaiba pushed by him and was preparing to return to his duties when he heard: "The next time I say 'under no circumstances,' I mean 'under no circumstances,' Mr. Anuya. Please remove yourself from my residence before I return to my study, or I will have you escorted out." Still with his back to his ex-employee, Seto Kaiba continued down the hall, making a mental note to further weed down his staff.

The round, grizzled face still standing in the doorway nearly hit the floor upon his termination. Green eyes began to water silently, and he hurried down to clear out his room. Being escorted off the premises by Kaiba's security sounded less pleasant than losing his job.

What could Yuugi Mouto possibly want? Scratch that; Seto was sure he knew what the younger man wanted, but was more curious as to why it couldn't wait.

Silver stairs with a gorgeous blue rug (imported directly from Persia, mind you) guided his slipper-clad feet down to the foyer, where he assumed his guests were waiting.

Indeed they were. Instead of the small, innocent Yuugi milling about, with—of all people—Katsuya Jounouchi, the taller, darker-looking Yuugi stood there. Kaiba had seen the man during their duels, but never outside of them. Vaguely he could recall the group of twerps cheering him on and calling him…salami? Kwami? Eh, something like that anyhow. Seto had never really cared enough to pay that much attention.

Seto took a closer look at the other blonde from the top of the stairs. Katsuya was wandering around the lavishly decorated front entrance as if he had never been there before. The owner of the aforementioned objects watched as Jou carefully examined the various photos and awards held by Kaiba Corporation and its CEO. The same hands that had so delicately drawn his likeness earlier now brushed themselves ever so lightly—no, tenderly across each and every display. As Seto watched, he briefly wondered what it would be like to have those same gentle hands brush themselves over his skin. He wondered what it would be like to have those hands—whoa, now; that was not the thought to be having when receiving guests. To further emphasize this point to himself, Seto cleared his throat, finally announcing his presence.

Jou's fingers were in the middle of caressing (Seto wished he could stop himself from using such adjectives—they were having an adverse effect on his business mindset) a display case holding a Certificate of Achievement when the noise reached his ears. The blonde jumped, causing one of the trophies to rock violently, threatening to tip and crash to the marble floor. Quickly, the lesser duelist threw his hands out and caught the item, steadying it gingerly. Sheepishly, his chocolate brown eyes darted between his friend and the owner of the house, waiting for the reprimand from either, more-so the latter.

Eyes narrowing, Seto chose to ignore the mishap and instead glide gracefully down the large staircase to greet the two. Katsuya exhaled quietly.

"Yuugi. Jounouchi. I wasn't expected visitors." There. Seto chastised the pair for showing up unannounced. "I'd like to know why you're disturbing me at home." Short, succinct and definitely to the point. If possible, the other Yuugi's eyes grew darker.

"This isn't a social call, Kaiba," he said. Yuugi's voice was much deeper, much more serious and dangerous than the other. "I was most intrigued by the conversation held this afternoon. I'm very interested to see what Pegasus has concocted to lure us to Egypt."

"I was under the impression we would discuss that at a later time," was the disapproving reply. Purple met blue in a brief battle of dominance before Jou offered his two cents.

"You're draggin' us halfway across the world Set—Kaiba. I think we deserve a better explanation."

Seto inclined his head imperceptibly in the blonde's direction. "I didn't ask you to come along." The challenge was clearly met.

"I invited him, Kaiba. It'd be nice to take something with me I won't have to worry about." Yami was clearly trying to soothe the bristles that had formed along Jou's back upon hearing the reply.

_Yami! Maybe this was a bad idea! I don't want Jounouchi and Kaiba getting into it. Maybe we should—_

_ It will be fine, Yuugi. If they are going to travel together, it is only prudent they work together. Better to let them get their animosity out of the way now rather than later._

"Hmph. Very well. I will show you the information Pegasus has given me. Just, please, keep your dog on a leash."

"And we get right back to the canine insults. Will you ever get new material, Kaiba?"

Set had turned to go back upstairs—with his guests in tow—but something in the tone of Jou's voice made him pause and turn back.

A playful smile was barely recognizable across Katsuya's plush lips. Kaiba almost missed it himself, but years of reading people in the business world allowed him to pick it up. His eyes shifted and locked with the other man. Jou stared unflinchingly back, the brown hue morphing into a lighter, more translucent color. The exchange was short, Seto pointedly returned to ascending the stairwell, and if Yami noticed anything, he kept it to himself.

Back upstairs, Kaiba led his two visitors through the most direct route back to his study. Paintings of duel monsters lined the hallways, all in various styles and color schemes. At least, some of the stronger ones. As they walked both Jou and Yami noticed they were all monsters from Kaiba's own deck: Baby Dragon, Gemini Elf, Niwatori, and of course, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon took up every other painting. Not a single one was by the same artist.

"All that has been sent to me are Pegasus' thoughts and theories. I haven't gotten very far into it—what with the constant interruptions. He's sent a few photographs of the tomb itself."

Across the large wooden desk in his study, Seto began to sort out the notes he had been examining earlier. His deft hands and quick eyes separated everything into smaller piles by content. While he did that, Yami went through the photographs, slowly, trying not to miss a single detail.

There was something familiar about the picture in his hand, he noticed. Yes, the longer he looked, the greater Yami's sense of déjà vu grew.

Various carvings encircled the walls in the small altar room. Light was so sparse that the grooves outlining the ancient guardians took on a form of their own, making them look alive, standing protectively over the raised stone slab in the middle. Yami could almost see the torches that should have been on the wall come alive, flickering and casting even deeper shadows.

_Yami, what's going on? Are you alright?_

But, Yami couldn't hear Yuugi. Purple eyes lost themselves into the picture, reconstructing the scene as it had been all that time ago.

Five people would have been gathered around that altar, barely big enough for two people to stand in front of it. A priest was chanting something from a thick, bound book—held by his younger apprentice. Only the pharaoh stood behind the stone, arms raised with a deadly sharp blade in his hand. To the sides stood the man responsible for guarding the tomb, and the Captain of the pharaoh's royal guard. On the altar itself, a naked man lay unbound. His eyes were closed, and he was silently praying to the gods to give him a swift and honorable death. That man knew no greater glory. Yami could see the priests' mouth moving, but he couldn't hear anything. Everything was silent until the pharaoh began lowering the knife to his sacrifice.

The picture blurred and receded quickly from his vision. Yami could hear noises, but wasn't quite sure he could make them out.

_…Yam-…okay?...Yami…Yami!_

Suddenly, Seto Kaiba's study came back into focus. The ancient spirit dropped the photographs onto the table as if they were on fire. His golden locks swayed as he tried to clear his head.

It was clear that Yami's moment had not been missed by his companions. Seto was still leaning over the desk with a stack of papers in his head, staring incredulously at Yami. Jou looked on with concern; he had seen the pharaoh go into a state like that before, but never for that long.

"You alright, man?" Jou swung a friendly hand around to pat Yami on the back, just to make sure he was still physically there. The small gesture was reassuring, and Jou was rewarded with a small, relaxed smile.

"Yes. I'm fine now. Thank you."

Seto opened his mouth to repeat everything he had been saying for the last few minutes, but was thwarted once again when Jou asked where the can was. Kaiba's blue eyes were still narrowed in annoyance even as he gave directions.

Katsuya departed the room, apologizing to Yami and insisting that the two carry on their conversation.

Looking up and down the hallway to identify the landmarks Kaiba had described, Jou cursed himself for not taking care of his business earlier. Kaiba's mansion was huge, and he knew that he'd get lost somehow. Following the plush carpeting, Jou turned right at the end of the hall as instructed. Was it the fifth door on the left or the third? Was it even on the left side?

The blonde started down the second hallway with trepidation. With his luck, a booby trap would be set off and Jou would be cast down into a pit of rabid Rottweiler's. Halfway down the hall, he managed to find one ajar. Jou smiled in triumph. He had found it! Quickly, he wrapped his slender fingers around the knob and pushed the door open, bursting into the bathroom.

Except it wasn't the bathroom. His first hint was the sheer size of the room. The walls in the room were a deep-sea blue, absorbing any feeble attempt at lighting. A hulking four poster bed dominated the center of the room, and reducing the light even further with black satin sheets and a matching down quilt. As his feet maneuvered on the carpeting, Jou couldn't decide if the color matched the walls or the bed. Naked, was how the room felt. Next to the bed, a table with a single picture frame stood, the only other furniture to be seen. All thoughts of the bathroom were banished, and Jou wandered to the bedside table to investigate.

A single picture of Mokuba and Seto was set inside an ornate silver frame. The happy smiles on the brothers' faces were almost contagious. Jounouchi found himself smiling at the thought of Kaiba being happy…ever. Gently, he set the photo down. As he did, something else caught his eye—a disheveled piece of paper looked awfully out of place on the table. Curious, Katsuya flipped it over.

Black and white, Seto gazed back at him. He was leaning comfortably against the side of a building soaking wet. Staring transfixed, Jounouchi wasn't sure if he should be upset that his artwork had been so heinously defiled or if he should be happy that Seto had even kept it—in what seemed to be his bedroom, no less.

Coughing from behind rooted Jou to the spot. The picture in his hand crumpled at the unexpected tension. _Please don't be Kaiba, please don't be Kaiba, please don't be—_

"I thought you had to go to the bathroom?"

_I never win._

Taking a calming deep breath, Jou turned to face the owner of the house. "Erm…well… f it makes you feel any better: I still have to go to the bathroom."

Seto was slowly advancing on him, like a hunter cornering his prey. Jou was backing up, attempting to put some distance between them, all the while trying to diffuse the situation.

"It would make me feel better knowing that you hadn't been snooping around my bedroom at all."

"I couldn't remember which door you said—so I tried all of them."

"And decided to stick around in this one?" Jou flushed at being caught in a lie.

"Erm—I'm sorry? It was an accident, honest! I'll leave right now!" Attempting to take the opportunity, Jou pushed his way past Seto. _Homefree!_

Something caught his wrist sharply. Jumping, Jou turned to look behind him. Kaiba's larger hands held him firmly and snatched the sketch away. Once his eyes glanced over the picture, his face softened (the pressure he held on the other man's wrist, however, never wavered).

"I can't believe you actually kept that."

"I can't either."

"Yeah, that's real nice. See if I ever draw another picture of you." That hadn't quite been what he'd meant to say. The sarcasm had sort of leaked out on its own. Unfortunately, Kaiba picked up on it.

"And here I was hoping to hire you to paint my portrait. I was going to hang it over the fireplace."

"Really? I saw it hanging over your garbage cans with raccoons living in it."

"That's a possibility, too."

Kaiba dropped Jou's arm, finally. Both men stood in the center of the room, eyes locked.

"Is it now? What would it take to convince you to showcase one of my drawings in your living room?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Jou shrugged. "Seriously. Think of the money I could make with as many people as you have coming and going from your house."

"And what makes you think I'd allow that?"

Jou shrugged again. "I'm not saying you would. I'm asking what I'd have to do for that to happen." His tone became more playful, lighter, almost…flirty. When Seto didn't answer, Jounouchi moved closer, so their chests were almost touching. If the move made Kaiba nervous, he sure wasn't letting it be known. Jou tilted his face up, still maintaining eye contact. His breath ghosted softly across Seto's neck, goose bumps being the only sign of movement from the man. "What do you say, Seto?" Jou was so close he could smell the cologne emanating from Kaiba's skin.

"Jounouchi! Kaiba! Where are you?"

Both men jumped when Yami's voice boomed through the hallway. Tension broken, the blonde began walking back to the bedroom. He looked back once at Seto, who remained where he was by the nightstand. "Think about what I said, hmm?" he winked and yanked open the door, shutting it swiftly behind him.

"Yami! Didja find the can yet? Thirty thousand doors and still no porcelain…" Kaiba heard Jou call out, his voice growing softer as he lured the curious spirit away.


End file.
